The Minister, after distributing welfare assistance at Edapadi and declaring open two part-time fair price shops at Kattur and Ncahipalayam villages, said that the people’s requests for fair price shops were met immediately. The Chief Minister would distribute 60,000 cows and 2 lakh goats and sheep to the poor to enhance their livelihood. She had the capacity to fulfil her promises to the people within six months and all her welfare schemes were targeting the poor in rural areas.

The Minister accused DMK regime of making the government welfare schemes benefit the family members. They never allowed the schemes to reach the poor and needy. The poor rural children who were studying computer courses would be given laptops. Nearly 9 lakh laptops would be purchased at a cost of Rs. 10,000 each.

Earlier, he also distributed welfare schemes worth Rs. 60 lakh to 650 beneficiaries at a function held at Edapadi town in which he said that a ring road would be formed shortly for Edapadi town and a bridge would be constructed across river Sarabanga. He said that 400 petitions were received and officials concerned would take necessary action on them.

Sanctioned

The Minister said that two students of Holy Angels Matriculation Higher Secondary School at Salem approached him with a request that if they were sponsored intense training at San Francisco in United States, they could bring laurels to the State at international championships. After considering their pleas sympathetically, the Chief Minister immediately sanctioned Rs 3.20 lakh for the girls to attend the training abroad.

Collector K Maharabushanam presided over the functions in which senior officials and others participated.

Source: The Hindu

Work on to tar road leading to Kumaragiri Hills.

The tar-topping works on the 2 km-long road leading to Sri Kumaragiri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple atop Kumaragiri Hills in Ward 37 in Salem city will be completed by the end of this month.

The works, which began during 2009, are apace and the existing mud road has been widened with storm water drainage facility – to cater to the increasing number of devotees and tourists of the hill temple, which is situated right at the heart of the city.

The project is being carried out under the ‘Namakku Naame’ scheme with devotees and Board members of the Temple’s trust contributing Rs. 28.27 lakh while the government through Salem Corporation has contributed Rs. 56.63 lakh. One of the Board members of the Temple’s trust said that with the help of devotees and members of the Board, a mud road at a cost of Rs. 26 lakh was laid in the hills in 2000. Later they formed the Arulmigu Kumaragiri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Narpani Mandram for providing facilities to devotees who visit the temple.

The road also was maintained by the Small Hill Roads Committee.

As the increase in the number of devotees has recorded a steady growth, the Board has decided to tar-top it for which they approached the government, which sanctioned funds under the ‘Namakku Naame’ scheme. The Salem District administration has also extended assistance.

The works at the total cost of Rs. 84.80 lakh is being taken up in three phases including two layer metal laying, bitumen and retaining wall. “The pucca road on which even cars can travel, will be ready by May end positively,” says an officer who is in charge of the project.

Source: The Hindu

Rs. 1.65 crore allotted for laying concrete roads under a special scheme

Development work:Concrete road being laid on Samundi Street in ward 50 in Salem.

Salem Corporation has undertaken many road works in the city under the Special Road Scheme (2010-2011) to the tune of Rs. 1.65 crore.

Storm water drainage

In Ward 50, cement concrete roads are being laid on Samundi Streets 1, 2 and 3 at a cost of Rs. 27 lakh for a total length of 420 metres along with storm water drainage channels.

On Angalamman Koil Street, concrete road for 430 metres is being laid along with storm water drainage facility at a total cost of Rs. 13.80 lakh.

Road works

In the same ward, road and storm water works for a total length of 415 metres have been undertaken on Madura Kaliamman Koil Street 1 and 2 at a total cost of Rs. 22 lakh along with works in Netaji Nagar for a length of 220 metres at Rs 7.50 lakh, while a sum of Rs. 28.85 lakh has been sanctioned at Utharappankadu for tar-topping a distance of 325 metres.

Storm water facility is also being added to it.

In Ward 59, a sum of Rs. 67 lakh has been earmarked for the works on cement road and storm water drainage at Perumalkoil Medu Street for 175 metres. Senior Corporation officials say that these road works, which had been sanctioned earlier, could not be taken up due to elections. “They will be completed shortly,” they further added.

Source: The Hindu

For free flow of traffic:The State Highways Department has taken up improvement works at the traffic junction near Alagapuram Police Station on Saradha Collage Road in Salem on Friday.

The Salem division of State Highways has undertaken the traffic junction improvement works in front of the Alagapuram Police Station on Saradha College Road in the city at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh. The works for which have begun on Friday.

Road Safety Fund

The project, being executed under the Road Safety Fund of the State Highways, includes a culvert across the road at the junction for storm water drainage, centre median to a distance of 1200 metres from Sri Rathnavel Gounder Kalyana Mandap to Abi Hospital and junction improvement for better vehicle movement on the Sri Saradha College Road, which has become the busiest road with malls and educational institutions.

Though a culvert exists near the police station it is not sufficient for storm water drainage and hence an additional one is being constructed.

According to Assistant Divisional Engineer P. Ramanathan, the project would ensure free flow of traffic at the junction, which has become congested at all hours. The storm water would be diverted to Pallapatti where also a culvert would be constructed at Pallapatti-Sooramangalam junction, he further added.

The works are being executed under the monitoring of Superintendent Engineer K. Jayaraman and Divisional Engineer C. Duraisamy.

The works would be completed in May, he said.

Source: The Hindu

The service was restored from 27th March 2011. The flight timings are remain same.

Flight No: IT4737

Chennai to Salem Dep: 2:50PM Arv: 3.50pm

Flight No: IT4738

Salem to Chennai Dep: 4:20pm Arv: 5.20pm

The service will be remain suspended on every Tuesday’s and Saturday’s.

In addition, The Kingfisher Airlines approached DGCA for change in timing of Chennai-Salem-Chennai flight, the airline wants a morning slot instead of the present timing, they looking forward to change the timing to morning in up coming summer schedule.

News by: Salemjilla

Image Source: Salemjilla Media Library

The cancellation of the lone ATR flight from Kingfisher Airlines in the Chennai-Salem-Chennai sector has put regular air passengers from Salem and the adjoining districts of Namakkal and Dharmapuri in a quandary.

After a near two-decade struggle to make the airport active, the fliers from Salem and its neighbourhood, had the opportunity of getting connected to Chennai by a flight despite very `uncomfortable timings.’ The flight would arrive at Salem airport at about 3.30 pm and leave for Chennai by 4.30 pm. But still, passengers had opted to fly and in fact, the aircraft occupancy was a healthy 55 to 60 per cent, especially in the Salem-Chennai sector.

But for the past 10 days, the flight was cancelled without reason. “We have not received any official communication so far about the cancellation. We have to face public ire,” said a travel agent.

Airport sources, however, pointed out that despite a recent hike in airfare, the flight had been doing well with the occupancy being `very encouraging.’

A leading industrialist and frequent flier told The Hindu that Kingfisher had been erratic in its operations ever since its launch. This had forced him and others to have an alternative arrangement for travel, either by train or by road. “The flight was not operated on many Tuesdays in the recent past and the reason attributed was the ongoing runway expansion works at the Chennai domestic terminal,” he claimed.

Many travellers pointed out that only a regular operation could repose public `faith’ on the carrier.

Highly placed airline sources claimed that they were hard hit by the `grounding’ of a few of their ATR aircraft due to technical snags. “We do not even have a spare engine. We will soon operate, probably from the last week of December,” the sources claimed adding the airline had approached the Director General of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India to re-schedule the timings “to suit the requirements of all.”

The same sources said that if the trading community in Salem utilised the flight to transport their cargo such as textiles, flowers and other materials, it cold be a win-win situation for both the operator and the pubic. The flight has the capacity to carry 1000 kg of cargo.

Source: The Hindu

Protest: Members of Tamil Nadu Youth Congress blocking Salem-Bangalore National Highway-7 near Salem urging the government to remove the toll plaza on Saturday.

Tamil Nadu Youth Congress members staged a road blockade at Omalur toll plaza on the Salem-Bangalore Four-Lane National Highway-7 urging the government to remove it from its present location with immediate effect.

The protest was led by Youth Congress state president M. Yuvaraja and attended by the cadre and frontline functionaries at the toll plaza near here on Saturday. The protestors blocked traffic for nearly 30 minutes asking the authorities to relocate the plaza from its present location.

Illegal

They said that it was illegal to have located the plaza near Salem Periyar University.

They said that the operators were fleecing the commuters and vehicle owners with exorbitant tariff since Omalur had already been emerged as a satellite township for Salem city.

They also pointed out that it was against the stipulations of the National Highways Authority of India, the plaza had been set up.

They urged the operators to close down the plaza immediately or else the agitations would continue in the days to come.

Talks held

Police and Revenue officials rushed to the place and held talks with them.

They also assured them that the issue would be taken to the appropriate forum for a solution.

Youth wing functionaries of Omlaur and others also spoke on the occasion.

Source: The Hindu: http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/28/stories/2010112852370300.htm

For a better deal: Members of Tamil Nadu Government Transport Corporation Staff Federation observed fast in Salem on Thursday demanding job regularisation. –

Crew members of Salem division of Tamil Nadu Government Transport Corporation Staff Federation observed one – day fast here on Thursday seeking job regularization and other demands. They said that they had been working as drivers and conductors in Government Transport Corporation buses of Salem division for long on temporary basis.

Hence they urged the government to implement the 1992 accord in which those who had completed 240 days should be regularized.

Letter

They also drew attention to the letter of Labour Department in this regard. Many of them had been appointed in 2007 through Employment Office. Nearly 1,350 crew members had worked for three years. But Salem Division had not regularized their services.

They also pointed out that all the provisions of Labour laws had been violated in their cases. In fact they said the Labour Department had in its order November 18, 2009 directed the Salem division to regularize their service. But nothing had happened so far, they claimed.

Source: The Hindu

The time table of AIRAVAT service as follows,

Bangalore To Salem Dep.Time: 6:45pm Arrival Time: 11pm

Salem To Bangalore Dep.Time: 12:30am Arrival Time: 4:30am

Adult Fare: Rs.270 only, Child Fare: Rs.205 Only.

For Reservations in Salem, Pls contact

N.S. Apsara Travels, Maruthi Complex, Opp.To: Hotel Ganesh Mahal, New Bus Stand.

(or)

Book Tickets online by visiting: http://www.ksrtc.in

The other Volvo service recently introduced and having seat quota for Salem passengers as follows,

Bangalore To Pudukotai Via Salem Dep.Time: 9:45pm

Pudukotai To Bangalore Via Salem Dep.Time: 9pm

Bangalore To Kumli Via Salem Dep.Time: 8.45pm

Kumli To Bangalore Via Salem Dep.Time: 7pm

Bangalore To Coimbatore Via Salem Dep. Time: 10:15pm, 10:45pm

Coimbatore To Bangalore Via Salem Dep.Time: 10pm, 10:45pm

Source: KSRTC

Source: THE HINDU